We survived week 1. Not kidnapped yet.

It's Friday night. It's been a frustrating week. I wanted to update throughout the week but as I don't have internet at home, I've been just writing when I can, and uploading when I have wifi. 

So much has happened, I'm just going to compile into a positive and negative list.

Negatives: Caden's bed is so hard that Jolene has been using it as an ironing board. The kitchen in my apartment is about the same size as a closet. Mick, my neighbor, and coworker, has a bigger kitchen (the one in the pictures the school sent me) and he confessed to me that he only uses it to boil coffee. I love to cook and wish I could switch kitchens with him.  The oven is gas and has to be lit with each use. I'll probably lose some eyebrows at some point.

I was hoping the school would sort of be my sanctuary, but the jury is still out. Turns out, most of the teachers barely speak English. The staff meeting was in Spanish with some translation, but the Mexican teachers talk to each other during the translation so it's hard to focus.  I left it, in a ball of frustration. Today, all the teachers visited the ms and hs classrooms, so we could observe how they function in a classroom, but the majority of the presentations were in Spanish, so it was basically pointless, for me. I have no supplies for my classroom and I have to get permission and 48 hours notice to print anything. The library at the school is, without a doubt, the shittiest library I've ever seen. I made a list of about a 100 high interest novels for young adults, and am hoping we can order every one of them. The kids are very excited about the books; I hope I can make it happen. Things at the school seem very unorganized and chaotic. I'm used to more structure. Granted, had I arrived on time, I'd have a better idea of how things work, as I'd been here for new teacher orientation.  My nose ring was nixed, but I sort of expected that. 

My phone stopped working after two days. Facetime with Matt and Cory drained it, completely. Also, everything is very, very expensive. I need lamps, a few blankets, some pots, pans, and kitchen gadgets. I'm dying for good coffee creamer. I'm constantly terrified that someone is going to pull up beside me on my walk to work and throw me in a van and kidnap me. Not because anyone has really looked like they wanted to, but because of all the things everyone has said to me about moving here.

I hate being so damn dependent on everyone. I'm used to doing my own thing, and not needing help, so depending on other people for EVERYTHING, is driving me up the wall. Caden has had a meltdown every morning, before school, and I have meltdowns in the evenings, after we get home. 

I didn't bring enough clothes. At all.

We get a week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas, and two weeks at Easter. But, it looks like we will be staying here, because round trip tickets for two are exhorbiant, especially around the holidays. 

Caden brought me these at the end
of the day on Thursday.
So thoughtful.

Positives: People want to help me. I met a Canadian named Pearl, who has taken me under her wing and taken us to Wal-mart and Sams. She patiently stood in the aisles and translated things for me. She dropped off pillow cases, towels and lemon pepper.  She refilled my water. Showed me how to light my oven without blowing myself up. And has designated herself as Caden's keeper when the new school opens and I'm 20 minutes away, after school. Extremely grateful. Another teacher, Ricardo, brought me an attendance book. Another one invited Caden to her son's birthday party (he couldn't go; it was a paint-ball party, and he's allergic to latex). My neighbor, Bob, showed us a neighborhood market about a 5 minute walk from our place. The director of the school fixed my phone so I could use it for email and texting, and now that it's stopped working, he's going to fix it again. An American, Melissa, had us over for dinner, across town, and is going to show me a good cheese shop. Another, Della, sat with me this afternoon during my conference, and laughed with me.


















The kids seem to be wonderful, thus far, and really interested in learning. I think that I'm going to enjoy the freedom to a be a little more creative in the classroom, and not have to stay within a box structured by higher ups and standardized testing. The school building itself is beautiful, and the new director seems to be very passionate about turning the school around, and into a legitimate American school.

Jolene is an absolute godsend.  Just having someone here who really knows me, and I can be myself around, at the end of the day, is priceless. She has been cleaning the apartment and she fashioned a clothes line for me on the roof.  It's almost comical, her cleaning. She mops the floors every day. And at the end of the day, if you walk barefoot, your feet still turn black. We think it's because of the lack of humidity here; the dust and dirt just swirl through the air, with nothing to hold it down. The weather here is phenomenal. As is the people watching. She made us our first dinner tonight, after Pearl came over and showed us how to light the oven.

Grilled chicken with tomatoes and onion,
macaroni and cheese, and cantaloupe

The architecture here is magnificent. Everytime we go for a walk, we find something new.

There are other good things about this experience, but as is life, I tend to focus on the negative. 

I'm excited that I don't have to buy an ironing board.

Okay. Well. That about sums up my week. Tomorrow, we are going on a city walk with some of the other teachers to see different parts of the city and learn some of the history. Sunday will probably be spent preparing for the rest of the week. I found a copy shop where I'll probably go to make my copies. That's what Mick does. I'm used to be being able to go up to the school on the weekends, plan, and make my copies for the week. That's all locked up here, so I'm going to have to adjust.